ACLJ Sends Letter Defending National Day of Prayer in Military from Anti-Christian Zealots

ACLJ Defends National Day of Prayer

The delusional anti-Christian zealots at the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) are at it again, this time targeting a completely optional National Day of Prayer breakfast at Marine Corps University.

In an e-mail sent on April 27, 2016, to Brigadier General Helen G. Pratt, President of Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia, Mikey Weinstein and the MRFF sent a snarky, condescending, and disrespectful message filled with distortions about the U.S. Constitution and the religious freedom of people of all faiths who sacrificially serve in our Armed Forces and demanding that the event be canceled.

Just as we’ve done before, we acted quickly to counter Mr. Weinstein’s false attack and defend the Constitution and religious liberty in the military. Within a matter of hours of becoming aware of Mr. Weinstein’s email, we sent a comprehensive letter to General Pratt providing a full legal analysis and exposing the factual falsehoods and legal fabrications set forth in his email.

The fact of the matter is that National Day of Prayer festivities are clearly constitutional. MRFF’s allegations are as absurd as they are illogical.

Our letter details how our Founders clearly intended for our nation and its military to have religious liberty, citing actions and words from Presidents Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. We then go on to cite numerous Supreme Court cases affirming that view, including victories won for religious freedom by the ACLJ.

The only real danger to the Constitution comes from the bigoted bullying of MRFF. As our letter details:

[H]ow Mr. Weinstein describes his organization, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), also says much about his beliefs and how he approaches those with whom he disagrees. He describes the MRFF as follows: “We are a weapon. We’re a militant organization. Our job is to kick [***], take names, lay down a withering field of fire, and leave sucking chest wounds on this unconstitutional heart of darkness, if you will, this imperious fascistic contagion of unconstitutional triumphalism.” He has demonstrated open and continuing hostility to Evangelical Christians and their message and admits that he is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his ends . . . .

Mr. Weinstein frequently singles out those whose views he dislikes and demands that such persons be “disinvited” from activities sponsored by the military. . . .

Mr. Weinstein’s rhetorical attacks, though predominantly aimed at Christians, are not limited solely to Christians. For example, he has readily attacked Jews with whom he disagrees as well.

When the Jewish War Veterans did not react in a matter as Mr. Weinstein thought they should have, he accused them of confusing “circumcision with castration.” On another occasion, he attacked a civilian rabbi who gave advice to a Jewish chaplain that Mr. Weinstein did not like by saying, “He’s a disgrace as an American citizen. He’s a disgrace as Jew. If I saw him, I’d spit in his face,” and then compared him to a “kapo in Auschwitz.” In Mr. Weinstein’s narcissistic world, only he gets the law and facts right.

He even compares Christians in the U.S. military to al-Qaeda and the Taliban and calls them “monsters who terrorize.”

This is why his dangerous deceptions must be countered immediately. This is why the ACLJ continues to stand at the ready to immediately respond to his outrageous attacks.

Join us by signing our petition and standing up for the Constitutional freedoms of those who sacrifice everything to ensure we remain free.

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